Rip Curl's Roots;- Born at Bells Beach.

In the beginning, Rip Curl was the vehicle for the perfect lifestyle – a never-ending search by two surfing mates for great waves, adventure & the fun that inevitably follows.

Back in 1967, two Australian friends – Brian Singer and Doug Warbrick – were living in the sleepy Australian coastal town of Torquay, Victoria, and decided they wanted to surf as much as possible. To help do that, they started making surfboards. In 1969, the pair made another decision which changed forever the nature of their fledgling company. Looking at the essential needs of their fellow surfers in cold water Victoria, they saw that one – a board to ride – was being serviced by too many companies. The other – a wetsuit to keep out the cold – was being serviced by only one.

Rip Curl took over an old house in Torquay and the partners made a small investment in a pre-World War II sewing machine. They put together a crew of locals and went into production. By todayʼs standards, the first Rip Curl wetsuits were primitive, but they differed from others on the market in that they evolved through interaction with the surfers themselves. The people who ran the company were – and still are – the test pilots.

It's an approach that continues to this day – focusing on our needs as surfers for products that enhance our enjoyment and experience of surfing and travelling. Searching. Living to surf. Surfing to live. A better performing surfboard. A better wetsuit. Clothes for the surfing lifestyle. Mountainwear that keeps you warm and dry. A watch that tracks time and the tide.

Over the 37 years since 1967, Rip Curl has grown from humble beginnings to be a truly international surfing company – second to none with its range of technical, innovative, functional, durable and stylish products designed by surfers for surfers, and available in more than 50 countries across the globe. Along with surfboards and wetsuits, the Rip Curl product range has expanded to include surfwear (casual clothes for men and women), accessories (unique surf watches, travel bags, backpacks and wallets), mountainwear (protective outerwear for snowboarding and skiing), footwear and eyewear.

But as it was in the beginning, it still is all these years later. Rip Curl was born and grew up as a surfing company and will always remain a surfing company. Our feet are firmly planted in the sand, our heritage never to be forgotten. However, surfing today means so much more than riding waves in the ocean. People feel the surfing spirit whether they are surfing down a mountain on a board or skis, riding the wind on a sailboard, surfing the ocean's waves or riding natureʼs energy in other ways.

So today, Rip Curl is a bigger group of dedicated people around the world who share the fun and adventurous spirit and the commitment to creating innovative, functional, stylish and durable products for all those people who share the spirit of The Search... Rip Curl’s roots - born at Bells Beach

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